Southland brand flag

The changing face of the Southland region with its dynamic and
positive growth has led to the launch of a fresh, new Southland brand
logo. The former Southland Spirit of a Nation brand has been
revitalised and updated with a new logo and communications campaign
that reflects the history, the region, the people of Southland and the
growth the region has experienced in recent years.

The colours of the new logo reflected the colours of Southland with
pale blue representing clean skies and giant vistas, dark blue
representing abundant oceans and clear night skies and natural green
for lush pastures and the agricultural strength of the region. The
Koru, a symbol of new beginnings and growth, reflected the new era for
the region and further growth that will come in the future

So the Spirit of a Nation flag is superceded. At the Venture
Southland page, we see the flag flying: Only the image part of the logo -
diagonally black-blue-green from the top hoist, with white curves,
including a koru, separating the colours.Jonathan Dixon, 3 June 2009

Online photos
http://www.southlandnz.com/Home/News/ArticleType/ArticleView/ArticleID/54.aspx
and
http://www.southlandnz.com/Home/News/ArticleType/ArticleView/ArticleID/138.aspx
suggest that there is also a version with writing in the green section.
Eugene Ipavec, 23 September 2010

Flag from Spirit of a Nation branding

image submitted by Glenys Carson, 26 June 2002, modified by James Dignan, 6 April 2005

Southland New Zealand Spirit of a Nation is the official brand chosen by the
local authorities approximately 5 years ago to both capture and promote the
lifestyle and personal qualities of Southlanders. This is the official flag
of Southland and the logo is reproduced on a wide range of merchandise.

Elements of the logo:Koru (fern): symbol of strong Maori heritage
The curved shape of the fly portion of the koru: the rolling landscape of Southland
and the story-line of our people.Sun (upper fly): as bright future.Three pale blue items: stars of the Southern Cross.Blue rectangle: blue of the clean crisp air and pristine waters.Figure: Spirit of the people of Southland.Glenys Carson, 26 June 2002

The flag can be seen on the "Southland New Zealand
Spirit of a Nation" website. As you can see, the
sun in the upper fly is pale yellow, not white as in the image sent by Glenys Carson.James Dignan, 6 April 2005

Maroon and yellow
are the colours that are used in regional
sports uniforms, particularly those of
rugby.Robbie Ellis, 10 March 1999

The maroon of the Southland
and North Harbour
flags and playing strips is nearer
the colour on the Latvian
flag — a very dark red.James Dignan, 5 April 1999

The flag that you associate with the
Southland rugby team in New Zealand is out of date. Several years ago
the uniforms got an overhaul to maroon and blue as can be found on
their website www.rugbysouthland.co.nz. One of the reasons for this was
to reduce the confusion with several other teams using similar
colours. I recall seeing their new flag as a vertical tricolor with
maroon, white and blue where the white is at a smaller ratio to the
others.Chris Rodgers, 23 January 2005

There are, however, no standardised
designs for provincial flags.James Dignan, 12 September 1996